Angulated hemorrhoid ligator



United States Patent 3,382,873 ANGULATED HEMORRHOED LIGATOR FrancisEdward Banich, 224 Burton Ave., Waukegan, Ill. 60085, and Ralph C.Jordan, 11349 S. Westwood Drive, Palos Hills, Ill. 60465 Filed June 30,1965, Ser. No. 469,368 6 Claims. (Cl. 128-326) ABSTRACT 0F THEDISCLOSURE This invention relates to an improved surgical instrumenthaving a pair of coaligned cylindrical members mounted at an angle toits support member actuatable for depositing elastic members about humantissue such as hemorrhoids.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or forthe Government of the United States of America for governmental purposeswithout the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

This invention relates to an improved surgical instrument and morespecifically to a device for treating hemorrhoids.

A hemorrhoid is a livid and painful swelling formed by a dilation of avein at the anus. Such dilations are extremely painful often timescausing debilating conditions with a resultant loss of time by people soaffected.

There have been treatments for this condition for many centuries andmany different approaches have been used. Surgery is one which takesconsiderable time for the healing process and may remove a man from hisoccupation for a period of time.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a new andimproved instrument useful in the treatment of hemorrhoids.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a medical instrumentusable by a physician in his ofiice for the treatment of hemorrhoidswithout resorting to surgical operating room.

It is yet a further object of this invention to provide an improvedmedical instrument whereby extremely small rubber bands may be properlyplaced about the lower portion of a hemorrhoid to cause it to in effectdie, to scar over and thus cure the condition.

It is yet a further object of this invention to provide an improvedmedical instrument for placing a rubber band about a hemorrhoidcomprising a first cylindrical member having a longitudinal axis; asecond cylindrical member movably positioned with the first cylindricalmember to move from a first to a second position in the first position,the second member having a lip portion extending beyond the firstcylindrical member, and in the second position the lip portion is withinthe first member; a support member affixed to the first cylindricalmember; an actuator arm aifixed to the second cylindrical member; abearing surface in the support member; a guide member on the actuatorarm; and a means, including a trigger for biasing the actuator arm andthe guide member against the support member and the bearing surface andfor moving the second cylindrical member along the axis to remove arubber band on the lip.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description of the inventionwhen considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top view of one embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view along lines 2-2 in FIGURE 1; and

Patented May 14, 1968 ICC FIGURE 3 is a view of loading mandrel usablewithin this embodiment of the invention.

The device has first and second coaligned coaxial cylindrical members 10and 11 about a longitudinal axis 12. A body or support member 13 havinga handle portion 14 is rigidly affixed to said cylindrical member 10.Member 13 has a grooved portion 15 therein and has a pair of slots orapertures 16, 17 extending all the way through said member 13. Anactuator arm member 19 of spring steel is affixed to said secondcylindrical member 11 by a neck portion 20 extending through a slot 16.A U-shaped clamp 22 biases the spring actuator arm 19 against thehousing 13 within slot 15 at a point designated as 24 and against abearing surface portion 25 of arm 19. A spring 30 in compression betweenhandle 14 and actuator arm 19 tends to urge the arm member to the leftas shown, and a trigger member 31 is provided for moving the arm portion19 towards the handle when it is desired to release a rubber band 40placed on the lip portion of inner cylinder 11.

In operation, a mandrel 41, shown in FIGURE 3, is inserted in cylinder11 and has a step portion 42 designed to fit into an inner cylindricalmember 11. A rubber band is urged up the mandrel onto the inner cylinder11. In this first position the inner cylinder 11 coaligned with cylinder10 has a lip portion extending beyond cylinder 10. When it is desired torelease the rubber band 40, trigger 31 is pulled to the right againstthe urging of spring 30. The bearing surface or sloping portion 25allows the arm to move in an upward direction, thus, causing cylinder 11to move coaxially with regards to cylinder 10. Thus, there is provided adevice for producing a motion which is along a given angle with respectto the main body 13. The slope of portion 25 is determined by the angleof the axis 12 with respect to the longitudinal axis of body 13.

With the construction as shown it is possible for the operating surgeonto take a pair of forceps and after the improved medical instrument hasbeen placed about a hemorrhoid to reach through the hollow innercylinder 11 and to grasp the hemorrhoid and pull it through thecylinder. At the time it is withdrawn sufficiently the surgeon merelypulls the trigger 31 and the rubber band 40 is placed about thehemorrhoid. It is then left there and since the blood supply has beencut off from the hemorrhoid it will die of its own lack of oxygen andfood and will drop off. The area is closed over by scar tissue and theresult is that the patient has a minimum of inconvenience and has aminimum of recovery time from this procedure.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

We claim:

1. An improved medical instrument for placing a rubber band about ahemorrhoid, comprising:

(a) a first cylindrical member having a longitudinal axis;

(b) a second cylindrical member movably positioned within said firstcylindrical member to move from a first to a second position, in saidfirst position, said second member having a lip portion extending beyondsaid first cylindrical member, and in said second position said lipportion is within said first member; (0) a support member affixed at oneend thereof to said first cylindrical member, said support member havingfirst and second slots therein, and having a first planar bearingsurface;

(d) a flexible actuator arm having first and second ends, affixed tosaid second cylindrical member at said first end, said arm shaped sothat a portion of it passes through said first slot;

(e) a trigger member at said second end of said actuator arm;

(f) a guide member attached to said actuator member engaging an edge ofsaid second slot;

(g) a second planar bearing surface on said actuator member engagingsaid first planar bearing surface; and

(h) means, including a biasing member, for maintaining said actuatormember in a flexed condition against said support member so that motionof said trigger member away from said first cylindrical member causessaid second cylindrical member to move coaxially within said firstcylindrical member from said first position to said second position.

2. The instrument of claim 1 wherein said support member has a handleaffixed thereto.

3. The instrument of claim 2 wherein a spring is maintained undertension between said trigger end of said actuator arm and said handle.

4. The instrument of claim 2 wherein there is provided a guide way insaid support member for confining said actuator arm for longitudinalmotion, said biasing member maintaining said actuator arm in saidguideway.

5. The instrument of claim 4 wherein said longitudinal axis of saidfirst cylindrical member is at a predetermined angle with respect to theaxis of said support member other than zero degrees.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein said guide member has a third planarbearing surface in contact with said second slot, said third planarbearing having an angle of slope which is substantially equal to theangle between said longitudinal axis and said support member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,863,234 6/1932 Bacon 128-3032,942,604 6/1960 Gravlee 128-303 DALTON L. TRULUCK, Primary Examiner.

